


The Legend of Moondrop Lake

by TooGucci4You



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, Fae!Betty, Hellhound!Toni, Legends, Siren!Veronica, Some Fluff, Vampire!Jughead, Werewolf!Archie, Witch!Cheryl, lots of monsters and adventure though, the scooby gang is back at it ft. cheryl and toni
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-06 09:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14054454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooGucci4You/pseuds/TooGucci4You
Summary: Every small town has its legends, its stories. Some just seem to hold more truth than others...OR; these kids go on an adventure to find a magic lake, á la Goonies





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> idk who tf let me write this but they should be arrested. I just really love the idea of the gang going on a goonies style adventure, and having them all be supernatural creatures. sue me.
> 
> enjoy babes

Every small town has its own set of legends, stories meant to deter children from disobeying their parents or from wandering too far into the woods. Age-old tales full of half-truths about things that happened long ago.

Riverdale was no exception.

Ask anyone in town about the legend of Moondrop Lake, and they’ll know exactly what it is; a mystical pool of water, said to be hidden deep within magical caves and guarded by ferocious monsters. Throw a coin in, and whatever wish you make will come true.

But that’s all it was, a legend. A story passed down through generations, an old wives tale with no evidence to support any sort of accuracy.

So why they were being assigned a report on it in  _ history _ class was a mystery to Toni.

She sat with her head leaned in her hand, vaguely focused on the teacher upfront. 

“...so,” he said, turning to face the class. “You all will divide yourselves up into groups of six, and thoroughly research Moondrop Lake, which means more than just googling it. Look for historical evidence, ask around town, anything you think will give you more insight.”

“Uh, excuse me, Mr. Terrin?” Toni watched as Archie, a few seats away, raised his hand. “Isn’t Moondrop Lake just a story? Like, something you tell to kids?”

Mr. Terrin turned his unnatural blue gaze on Archie. “It’s more than ‘just a story’, Mr. Andrews. True, the existence of the lake has never been proven, but for the details of a story to remain so consistent generation after generation, well, that must mean something, right?”

“I guess, but I still don’t—”

“Think of it like this,” Mr. Terrin said, cutting Archie off. “It’s a mystery that has yet to be solved. You and your friends are quite adept in that field, aren’t you, Mr. Andrews?” He swept his gaze around the cluster of desks surrounding Archie. His eyes stopped on each one momentarily. Veronica. Betty. Jughead. Cheryl. And finally Toni. He lingered on her for a second, eyes glittering in a way that made the back of her neck prickle. Whether it was the way he was looking at her or the fact that it was a basilisk gaze that made her uncomfortable, she wasn’t sure. 

She let out a breath of relief as he broke eye contact, addressing the rest of the class. “Get into groups, and give me a piece of paper with all your names on it. There’s handouts up here with more in depth directions and guidelines, as well as some extra credit opportunities. After you’ve done all that, you’re free to go.” 

Immediately, Betty and Veronica grinned at each other, turning their smiles on Archie and Jughead, who were staring expectantly back. The four of them turned to Toni and Cheryl. 

“You guys with us?” Veronica asked.

“Yeah, we could really use your photography skills to document everything, Toni. And uh, whatever Cheryl does.” Jughead said.

“I have connections you can only  _ dream _ of, hobo king,” Cheryl said with a toss of her hair, her insult lacking any real venom. “Families who have lived in this town since it was built, including my own.”

“Do you really think your psycho mother is gonna help us?” Jughead asked skeptically.

Cheryl flinched almost imperceptibly, but Toni caught in anyways. She laid a comforting hand on her forearm, swiping her thumb back and forth soothingly. Cheryl shot her a grateful glance before turning back to Jughead.

“Probably not, no, but we can always ask Nana Rose. She’s not completely senile. Plus there’s plenty of history books written about the Blossom family, by the Blossom family, so one of them must have  _ something _ we can use.”

“So, you guys are in then?”

“Yeah, we are.” Toni said quickly, before Cheryl could launch into another long-winded tangent about how she’s an asset to them, and how they’d fail without her, et cetera. Cheryl gave her a slightly baleful glance, but her pout cracked into a small smile when Toni nudged her and gave her a playful wink.

Veronica scribbled down their names in her neat, flowing handwriting, taking it to Mr. Terrin’s desk and grabbing six handouts. Toni flipped through hers as they all made their way out of the classroom, acutely aware of Mr. Terrin’s icy gaze on their backs as she left. She shuddered when they had made their way into the safety of the hall, the classroom walls shielding them from the teacher’s penetrating gaze.

“He gives me the creeps,” she muttered as they entered the student lounge. “Who hires a basilisk as a teacher?”

“Are you guys talking about Mr. Terrin?” A voice piped up from the couch. Kevin was seated on the edge, laptop perched on one knee, open book on the other. A faint ring of light wreathed about his head, casting a pale pink glow over him. “I’ve heard he petrifies students if they get a detention from him.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” Betty said, sitting down beside him. “But yeah, we were. He assigned us a report on Moondrop Lake.”

Kevin pushed his laptop and book to the side, looking over Betty’s shoulder at the handout as she read through it. “Isn’t that just some fairytale?”

Toni shrugged from where she was seated in the armchair. “Not according to Mr. Terrin, its not. We’re supposed to research it and like, find out the history and origin of it I guess?” She continued to read over the sheet, skimming over the presentation formatting and sample questions, eyes alighting on the small text at the bottom of the page.

_ Extra credit to anyone who can prove the existence of Moondrop Lake. _

“Hey, guys, check this out…” she leaned towards the rest of them, pointing at the bottom of the page. 

“‘Prove the existence of Moondrop Lake’? This guy is officially wacko, it’s just a story!” Kevin said.

“I mean, what if it’s not though?” Archie spoke up. “No, just like, think about it,” he said as everyone turned skeptical gazes on him. “He is a history teacher after all, which means there has to be  _ some  _ historical accuracy to it, if he’s assigning us a project on it. What if it’s not just a legend? What if we figure out that this place actually like, exists? It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in Riverdale.”

Though they looked doubtful, the group let out assenting murmurs at his statement, knowing that with all the going-ons in the town, the existence of some fabled wish pool would seem fairly normal compared to some things.

“Then we better get researching.” Betty said, a spark of excitement in her eyes. “Let’s find us a magic lake.”

* * *

Toni clicked in the latch of her uncle’s trailer, leaning her weight onto the door. It didn’t give, leaving her effectively locked out. Typical. She sighed in annoyance, kicking the door angrily and stomping down the small set of steps into the field of the trailer park. She weighed her options. She could go to her grandfather’s, but he refused to tolerate any type of noise in his trailer. Jughead was another option, but she knew that he was most likely brooding in that pitch black of his room.

That left one other option, and the one she liked the most.

Reaching into her back pocket, Toni pulled out her phone, unlocking it with a click and thumbing over to her messages. She clicked on the second most recent contact, labelled “Cheryl Bombshell” with a heart and a little flame emoji. Her lips quirked up into a small grin as she typed out a message.

**_3:53 p.m:_ ** _ uncle locked me out of the trailer again, n juggies vampire brooding. can i chill at ur place? we can get started on terrins project _

She locked her phone, intending to place it in her back pocket to wait for a response, but had no need when it buzzed a few seconds later.

**_Cheryl Bombshell | 3:53 p.m:_ ** _ Of course darling, do u really need to ask? Ur always welcome at Thistlehouse, at least in my room ;))) _

Toni rolled her eyes and let out a short laugh, about to write a flirty response when the three dots that indicated Cheryl was typing popped up, the message coming through a moment later.

**_Cheryl Bombshell | 3:54 p.m:_ ** _ U riding or running? _

**_3:54 p.m:_ ** _ running, i’ve been cooped up all weekend. need to stretch my legs _

Clicking her phone closed, Toni threw it into her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and jogging over to the edge of the park. She arched her back, stretching her spine and feeling it crack with a few satisfying  _ pop _ s. Shaking out her hands, she breathed in deeply, letting it out in a steady sigh that turned into a guttural growl as her body elongated and changed, transforming into a huge dog-like creature, jet black save for the line of long, dusky pink fur that ran from between her ears to her mid-back.

A hellhound stood where Toni once had, a bear-sized monster with glowing red eyes and sickly mist wreathing around its paws. Toni coughed, a rugged bark of noise from between dangerous fangs. She shook out her fur and sniffed once, picking up the faint scent of roses and herbs that she knew indicated the direction of Thistlehouse.

Bunching her muscles, she sprang forward, paws pounding as she raced off towards the Blossoms’ residence. Her claws tore up the earth beneath her, wind whipping in her ears and a trail of charred, ashen pawprints appearing in her wake as fire sparked on her pads.

Toni paced herself, falling into leisurely strides as she basked in the feeling of freedom that running brought her. It gave her a sense of weightlessness, almost as if she was flying, and it felt like she could shed her worries and responsibilities if she ran fast enough and far enough away from Riverdale.

It took her 10 minutes to reach Thistlehouse. She could cover the distance faster, but she had wanted to enjoy her run.

She slowed her sprint to a trot, careful to keep her cooling paws from burning the driveway, trying to make sure Penelope knew nothing of her presence. She crept around the side of the house, finding the high window she knew to be Cheryl’s. 

Toni crouched down, tensing her body in preparation to jump. Crimson eyes pinpointing a spot on the branch adjacent to the pane of glass, she sprang off the ground in a powerful arc upwards. Her front paws hit the wood with a solid  _ thump _ , and she scrabbled with her back claws for a moment before getting a solid grip and hauling herself up onto the thick branch. 

Cheryl appeared at the window, having heard the sound of something solid thunking onto the tree. She smirked at the sight of Toni’s huge form crouched awkwardly on the branch like a monsterous squirrel and swung the window open to allow her access.

Toni leaped through the window and landed softly on the plush carpet, shaking herself to dislodge the leaves and debris that had caught in her fur from the tree.

“Hey, do that outside!” Cheryl scolded, closing the window. “And no scorch marks on the carpet, dog breath!”

Toni snapped at her playfully, giving one last shake before transforming back into herself in a flash of flame and foul-smelling mist. Cheryl wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh, why do you have to smell so bad when you do that?” 

“It’s not exactly my choice,” Toni shrugged, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a bottle of perfume, spraying it to rid herself of the stench of hellhound. She tossed her backpack to the side of the bed and thumped down onto it, falling back onto the fluffy comforter with a sigh.

“Are you here to work or just to hog my bed?” Cheryl asked, and Toni felt the bed dip as she sat down next to her. She opened one eye, fixing her friend with a wide grin.

“Mmm, let’s see…,” Toni pretended to think as she rolled onto her stomach, propping up her head, chin in hand. “Do boring school work on a project that some nutjob teacher assigned us, orrrrr lounge in a pretty girl’s comfy bed with said pretty girl. Hard choice, I gotta say.”

She threw in a wink for good measure, and was rewarded with a light blush that colored Cheryl’s cheeks.

“Shut up,” she mumbled, looking down at her hands self-consciously. Toni sat up, scooting closer to Cheryl and bumping their shoulders together.

“How ‘bout we do both?” Toni compromised, and Cheryl rolled her eyes, shyness forgotten.

“Fine,” she sighed in fake exasperation, reaching for her laptop and notebook before settling back against her mound of pillows, patting the space next to her in invitation. Toni didn’t hesitate to scoot up next to her and burrow under the covers, grabbing her bag as she went and pulling out her own computer.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, quietly doing research on the lake and putting their findings in the shared group document Betty had created for them. 

Toni’s eyes had just about glazed over as she made her way through yet another article analyzing the themes of the story and the historical ties it had, each one more boring and redundant than the last. They all just said the same thing, that the story contains real places and historically accurate events, but there’s absolutely no evidence to support the actual existence of it.

She was about to click away from the article to continue trudging through the heaps of webpages, when her sharp gaze caught a small footnote at the bottom of the text. 

**_*Some historians believe that this fabled lake may actually exist, and that the clues to its location are hidden around Riverdale and the surrounding area. The locations are thought to be encrypted in the text itself, specifically the lyrical poem, which serves as a sort of riddle, decipherable only by those with a vast knowledge of various ancient languages, both of infernal and ethereal origins. Needless to say, this is considered a laughable claim by the community, and therefore has never been looked into._ **

“Hey, Cher, look at this…” Toni turned her screen towards Cheryl, pointing at the block of text with one black painted fingernail. Cheryl’s eyes followed her finger, moving quickly over the words as she read through them. One manicured eyebrow rose.

“The story is a riddle?” She asked, turning to Toni. Toni shrugged in response.

“According to some people, yeah. I bet Terrin is one of them.”

“But how can the entire story be a riddle?” Cheryl looked bewildered. “I mean, it has characters and places, but it can’t all be relevant.” Toni pointed at the text again.

“Look, it says its just in the poem section of it. I mean, it does say in the story that the poem tells you how to get there. Maybe it really does.” She shrugged.

“No, that’s too easy, they’d have found it by now,” Cheryl muttered, reaching over to open a drawer on her bedside table, shifting through the surprising amount of clutter in search of something. She pushed aside a thick book covered in drawings and runes Toni didn’t recognize, and glass vials clinked together quietly as they were jostled around. She pulled out a rather grotty looking pen with a triumphant ‘aha!’, flipping her notebook to a fresh page and quickly scribbling down the poem from the story.

“Here we go,” she said, tearing the paper at the perforation carefully and handing it to Toni. Cheryl had rather elegant, loopy handwriting, and it flowed across the page in pink ink. Cheryl climbed out of her grand bed, and Toni almost whined at the immediate chill that followed the loss of contact. 

“What’re you doing?” She asked, just a hint of petulance in her voice. Cheryl ignored her whine and made her way to the neatly organized racks of vials and herbs that stood on the other side of her room.

“We’ve gotta show this to everyone else, I’m just preparing a few things just in case something unexpected happens, which, let’s be real, probably will.” Cheryl examined the bottles carefully, some empty, others filled with brightly colored liquids that glowed softly.

“Ooo, am I gonna get to watch you do witchy things?” Toni asked, wiggling her fingers. “ _ Double bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble  _ and all that good stuff?” Cheryl laughed.

“Not this time, no. I’m just grabbing some cautionary potions, to help get us out of any sticky situations. Plus I’ll have my spellbook for any charms I might need.” She picked up a satchel that sat near the vial rack, opening it up and carefully placing a few of the potions inside and closing it securely.

“Let the others know we’ve found something.” She said as she grabbed the book from her nightstand, putting it in a separate pocket in her bag. “The Scooby Gang has a mystery to solve.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope reminds us that she is the Worst™, and the scooby gang gets started on a mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmfao yall thought i had abandoned this, jokes on you
> 
> but fr i do plan on seeing this through, but i'm at the end of the semester, which means all my profs are throwing as much shit at me as they can, but dw, we're still chugging along
> 
> enjoy lovelies!

Getting out of Cheryl’s house should have been easy. Send a quick text to the rest of the group, climb out the window, shimmy down the tree, and get off the property as fast as possible.

That’s how it  _ should _ have gone.

Instead, Penelope Blossom barged through the door without so much as a knock, marching right in to see her daughter halfway out the window and Toni peeking over her shoulder with wide, nervous eyes. Her eyes scanned the scene in front of her, nostrils flaring furiously.

“What,” her voice was low, rising in pitch and volume with every word, “is going on here?”

Cheryl immediately brought herself fully back into the room, drawing herself up to her full height and doing her best to stand strong under her mother’s burning red gaze.

“Mother,” her voice wavered, and she took a moment to steady it. “Toni and I are working on a group project together, we were just—” 

“I don’t care what you were doing, that  _ delinquent _ is not allowed in this house!” Penelope cut her off, stalking over to Cheryl and seizing her arm. “And you are not going anywhere with her!” She was shrieking now, her nails growing into long, sharp talons that dug into Cheryl’s skin.

“Mother, please let go, you’re hurting me!” Cheryl whimpered, trying and failing to pull herself from her mother’s unnaturally strong grasp. Toni clambered back through the window, yanking Penelope away from her daughter angrily.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Toni snarled. Her eyes changed from their normal dark brown to bright red, matching Penelope’s, and she stared challengingly into her eyes.

Penelope drew back with a hiss, as if she had been burned where Toni had touched her.

“You… you unnatural  _ miscreant _ , you take my sorry excuse for a daughter and get out of here!” She spat, and shoved her face at Toni’s. “And if I ever see you here again,” she hissed, eyes narrowing, “I will drag you down to the depths of hell to burn eternally.”

Toni snorted. “If you aren’t there, then it can’t be that bad.” She and Penelope held each other’s burning gazes for a moment more before the woman turned on her heel and stomped back out of the room, screeching one last “ _ out!”  _ before slamming the door shut behind her. Toni immediately whipped around to Cheryl, all traces of anger gone, and put a gentle hand to her cheek.

“You okay?” She asked gently, eyes back to their naturally soft brown and gazing worriedly at Cheryl. Cheryl nodded shakily, reaching up to hold her wrist loosely. 

“I’m fine, let’s just get out of here.”

Toni nodded and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’ll carry you down.” 

She stepped back and quickly transformed into a hellhound, crouching low so Cheryl could easily clamber up onto her back. With practiced ease she maneuvered them out the window and jumped from branch to branch until she could safely leap to the ground without jolting Cheryl too much.

As soon as her paws were securely on the ground, Toni took off into a dead sprint away from Thistlehouse, and from Penelope Blossom. She didn’t even bother to try to avoid scorching the ground, huge ashen prints staining the otherwise perfectly manicured lawn of the property. Cheryl’s hands were clenched tightly in her fur, and Toni felt a few suspicious drops of wetness soak into her skin as she ran.

Her pace slowed as the house disappeared into the trees, the cloying scent of roses fading away as she loped gently through the woods near Betty’s house. Cheryl’s hands had relaxed into a soft hold on her shoulders, and her body heaved in a sigh of relief at being away from her mother. Toni bypassed Betty’s house for the moment, wanting to give Cheryl some time to calm down.

She climbed a wooded slope, the trees giving way to a clear outcropping of grass and rocks that overlooked a portion of the suburban area of Riverdale.

Toni let Cheryl off her back and turned back into a human, her arms immediately coming to circle around the girl. Cheryl gripped her back tightly, burying her face in her neck and shaking gently with soft sobs. Toni held her, shushing her softly and rubbing slow, soothing circles on her back.

A few moments passed, and she felt Cheryl take a deep, shuddering breath, seemingly composing herself, and pulled back, swiping her fingers under her eyes to clean off any dripping mascara and attempting to rearrange her face into a neutral expression.

Toni saw right through it, quirking her mouth into a sad little smile and bringing her hand to her face to wipe away the stray tears carefully. 

The facade cracked and Cheryl let out a shaky sigh, leaning into her touch. They were silent for another moment before Cheryl broke it.

“You smell like death.”

Toni snorted.

“I can leave if you want.”

“On second thought, you smell like heaven.”

Toni laughed and grabbed her perfume out of her back, getting the foul smell off of herself. Then she grabbed Cheryl’s hand gently, guiding her to sit on the edge of the plateau. Their feet dangled over the steep slope that led down to someone’s fenced in yard, and a dog stared up at them, barking a few times before a sharp call sent it galloping inside.

Cheryl leaned against Toni, their arms linked together, and let out a long, tired sigh. Toni said nothing, just pushed her weight back into her to reassure the girl that she wasn’t going anywhere. 

After a few moments, Toni felt something sticky pressing into her arm. She glanced down to where their forearms touched to see it lined with red, and immediately pulled back in alarm.

“Oh shit, Cheryl, you’re bleeding!” She grabbed Cheryl’s arm carefully, and saw the puncture wounds that her mother had made when she’d dug her nails into her arm. Cheryl grimaced at the marks, but just sighed and turned to her satchel, rummaging around for a second before pulling out a long, thin vial of a thick green liquid.

She unstoppered the bottle and carefully measured out a small bit on the tip of her finger. Resealing the bottle and setting it aside, she rubbed the paste into the cuts, hissing quietly through gritted teeth. 

As Toni watched, the skin quickly knit itself back together, surrounded by a pale green glow that faded with the wounds. Cheryl let out a long stream of air through her nose, running her palm over the newly healed skin.

“There. All better.” Cheryl stood from where they sat on the edge of the slope and turned, picking up her bag and hooking it over her shoulder. Her voice was dull and tired, like she no longer even had the energy to feel sad. “We should get going.” 

Toni scrambled up, reaching for Cheryl’s hand.

“Cheryl, wait, are you—”

“I’m  _ fine, _ Toni.” Cheryl snapped, pulling her hand away from Toni’s, the polar opposite to her behavior just a moment ago. Toni flinched backwards slightly, and Cheryl’s expression immediately softened. She sighed tiredly. “I’m fine, I promise. Let’s just go.”

Toni could see the silent plea in her eyes, and she knew Cheryl’s anger wasn’t directed at her. So she just gave her a gentle nod, turned back into a hellhound, and galloped silently down the hill towards Betty’s house.

* * *

 

“So what you’re telling me is that the “answer” is in this poem?” Jughead asked, peering over Veronica’s shoulder to read the sheet.

“Supposedly,” Toni shrugged. “According to the article, some historians really believe it.”

“Okay, but if that’s the case then why hasn’t anyone figured it out yet?” Betty asked, pen between her teeth as she paused from scribbling down ideas about the meaning of the text.

“Evidently you have to know a bunch of infernal and ethereal languages.” Toni said. “And I know some infernal, but ethereal is a pretty much dead language now, so I can kinda see why; no one with enough knowledge to know infernal  _ and  _ ethereal would go chasing after some story.”

“But it’s written in common, so why would you need other languages?” Betty responded. They all exchanged glances, no one having an answer.

“One thing at a time, let’s talk to the only person we know who speaks ethereal.” Cheryl said.

* * *

 

A series of sharp knocks sounded on the door of the Keller household, and Kevin opened the door to find his friends at his doorstep, wearing determined expressions.

“Oh! Uh, hey guys, what’s up?” He asked, surprised at their sudden appearance.

“We need your help, angel boy.” Cheryl said, cutting right to the chase and breezing past Kevin into his house.

“Yeah, come on in.” Kevin muttered under his breath, standing aside to let everyone else in. His pink halo flared brightly in annoyance for a moment, but dimmed again when Betty laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

“So what do you guys need help with?” He asked as everyone settled on the various chairs and sofas scattered about his living room.

“Our project.” Betty answered. “We need someone who speaks ethereal.”

Kevin grimaced, “I can’t promise how much help I’ll be, ethereal is really confusing and I’ve never been great at it. Why do you need that, anyways?”

It was Toni who answered. “According to an article I found, the location of the lake is like, encoded or something in that riddle thing that’s in the story. You know, the one that the dragon tells Nikolas?” Kevin nodded. “Well apparently, you gotta know ethereal and infernal to figure out the ‘truth’ or whatever.”

“Okay, well maybe we start with reading it out loud? See if anything sticks out?” Kevin suggested. They all murmured their ascent, and Veronica handed the sheet to Betty, who cleared her throat and began in a slow, clear voice, careful to enunciate every syllable.

“ _ On moonless nights and sunless days, _

_ When you are hidden from the harshest gaze, _

_ The world will move with thunder’s might, _

_ And you must survive the great beast’s bite, _

_ A riddle to solve that has no answer, _

_ The only solution lies with the long-dead dancer, _

_ Only then will you be able to find, _

_ The sight to which you were once blind, _

_ Avoid the creatures’ horrible wrath, _

_ And continue on your wayward path, _

_ Make a wish and it will surely come true, _

_ But beware: you will not soon forget what you have been through.” _

The room was silent for a moment, everyone exchanging hesitant glances in hopes someone had come up with something.

It was Archie who broke the silence. “I’ve got nothing.”

“Nope.”

“Me neither.”

“No idea.”

They all chorused some type of agreement, sighing frustratedly in defeat.

“Okay, let’s all just think harder for a second here.” Toni stood and began to pace, circling the carpet. “In the story, Nikolas ends up solving the riddle and finding Moondrop Lake, right?”

“Yeah, but—” Archie began before Toni cut him off.

“ _ But,  _ everywhere he goes is a real place in Riverdale, or at least based on one. So why don’t we try doing what he did in the story?” Toni’s eyes sparkled, clearly excited at the prospect of uncovering some ancient clues pointing towards proof of the lake’s existence.

“Woah, hold on for a sec there Toni,” Jughead stood, putting his hand on her shoulder and halting her pacing. “For all we know, this is still just a made up story. Just because you found an article online saying that  _ maybe  _ there’s a  _ possibility _ it’s not, doesn’t make it true.” Toni visibly deflated, his words effectively taking the wind out of her sails.

“Do you have a better idea, hobo king?” Cheryl snapped, appearing at Toni’s side the moment her face fell. She grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together and fixing Jughead with an icy glare. “The point of this project is to research the existence of the lake. This is research. We go where the story tells us Nikolas went; if we don’t find anything, whatever, it proves its a myth. If we do, even better, we get information for our project  _ and  _ a mystery to solve. I say we go.”

Jughead blinked at her, momentarily stunned into silence at her swift and effective takedown of his argument. Toni nudged her gently, sending her a grateful glance. Cheryl’s gaze immediately softened, and she blinked affectionately at Toni in a way that made her heart flutter a little.

Veronica was the first to speak up. “I’m with Cheryl, we should check it out.”

“Me too.” Betty said instantly, standing with Veronica to join her at Cheryl and Toni’s side. Jughead rolled his eyes slightly at the pair, and looked at Archie and Kevin with a raised eyebrow.

“Well?” He asked. “Are you in on this wild goose chase too?”

Archie shrugged. “I know good and well I won’t win in an argument against the four of them, so better to just go along with it. Kev?”

“Of course I’m coming.” Kevin breezed over to the girls, throwing his arm around Betty’s shoulders. “This is potentially the most exciting thing that’s happened in  _ months.” _

Jughead sighed, putting his hands up in defeat. “You win I guess. Where does Nikolas go first again?”

“Moss Deep Forest.” Betty answered, reading off her phone. “He follows the river from where he meets the dragon to get there, so that would make it….”

“The railroad tracks.” Toni said. “My grandfather used to tell me stories that his granddad told him about the mystical forest that used to be there. We just have to follow the track going north from the railyard.”

“Well then let’s go!” Kevin said excitedly, ushering Betty and Veronica towards the door. Archie chuckled and shook his head, following them into the entrance hall. Jughead let out a deep sigh.

“Let’s head to the railyard then.”

* * *

 

The tracks were about a 15 minute drive from the Keller residence, 10 if Kevin was the one behind the wheel. For the son of the town sheriff, he didn’t care much for traffic laws.

They all filed out of the SUV and into the long, unkempt grass surrounding the railyard, looking slightly queasy from their hectic ride. Jughead stood in the back of the group, grumbling and looking absurd with his black umbrella and elbow length gloves in the late afternoon sunlight.

Toni ignored him and strode to the head of the group.

“Which way, o wise one?” Jughead asked sarcastically. Toni spared him a withering glare before glancing up at the sky, shielding her face from the glare.

“This way.” She said, pointing at the track that ran parallel to the shoreline a few hundred feet away. It was the newest of the tracks, the metal barriers still fairly clean and shiny.

She began walking alongside it, everyone following her in a loose line. Cheryl fell into step beside her, and after a few moments of silence, Toni felt her fingers deliberately brush against her own.

Hesitating only a moment, Toni gently gripped Cheryl’s hand, twining their fingers and giving them a soft squeeze. From the corner of her eye, she saw Cheryl’s mouth curve up into a faint smile, and she swore she heard a quiet snicker from behind her.

Ignoring her companions, Toni turned her head to look at Cheryl, taking a moment to appreciate the way the slowly setting sun basked her in it’s glow, making her pale skin shine and touching her red hair to fire.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Cheryl said dryly, not even turning to look at Toni. Toni just laughed and bumped their hips together.

“Nah, no camera could do you justice.” She responded, raising an eyebrow and grinning at Cheryl cheekily. Despite the orange glow from the sun, Toni could see the faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Cheryl Blossom, are you blushing?” She teased.

“What can I say, you really know how to sweet talk a girl, Topaz.” Cheryl mumbled, looking faintly embarrassed and pleased at the same time.

“Mmm, it’s a good thing I’m only interested in sweet talking you then, isn’t it?” Toni leaned forward, smug grin still fixed in place. 

Cheryl leaned forward too, just a little, and then Toni leaned in a little more, and then Cheryl, back and forth like an odd game of chicken that neither was willing to lose.

The distance between their faces closed even more, their noses brushing against each other, and Toni could taste Cheryl’s breath on her lips. Minty, with just a hint of something sweet like bubblegum. Or cherry. It would just take a bit more and…

There was a loud, exaggerated gagging sound behind them, and they jumped apart, whipping around with matching glares to see Betty slugging Kevin hard in the arm.

“Kev! They were about to have a moment!” She hissed before noticing Cheryl and Toni’s scowls. She smiled sheepishly.

“Not in front of all of us!” Kevin said, crossing his arms. “I’m all for the gays being gay, but they looked like they were about to eat each other! They would have started fucking right here and now if I hadn’t stopped them!” Betty opened her mouth to say something, but Cheryl beat her to it.

“Kevin Keller, so help me I will spell you into a miserable little toad if you say another word!” She snarled. Kevin immediately fixed her with his best innocent face, complete with puppy eyes and a pout.

“You wouldn’t spell me, would you? I’m an angel! Literally!”

Toni saw the wave of glittering energy that indicated magic light up Cheryl’s eyes, and she stepped between them quickly.

“Woah woah, everybody calm down here.  _ No one _ is getting turned into a toad, at least not right now.” She turned to Cheryl, rubbing her upper arms soothingly. “If you turn him into a toad, he can’t speak ethereal for us, remember?”

“We could find someone else,” Cheryl grumbled, but the otherworldly energy in her eyes faded and she turned away from Kevin with a huff, marching ahead a little ways.

“Try not to cause so much trouble.” Toni begged Kevin. “I know you live for drama, but like, not with her. She’s been through the wringer enough.” Kevin snorted.

“All I’m saying is that I don’t wanna see you guys eyefucking every three seconds, or  _ literally _ fucking for that matter.”

“We weren’t-” Toni cut herself off with a sigh. “You know what, never mind. Just, behave.”

“Aren’t you a hellhound anyways? You’re like, supposed to cause havoc and stuff.” Kevin pointed out.

“Yeah, I thought hellhounds were all about death and destruction and stuff.” Veronica piped up. Toni gave them both a disdainful glare.

“And angels are supposed to be benevolent, and sirens are supposed to lure men to their watery graves. I don’t see either of you doing that.” She growled. “Besides, hellhounds don’t cause death for fun, we’re just like, stuck with the job. Side effect of existing I guess.”

Before either of them could respond, Toni turned and took a few bounding stride to catch up with Cheryl, immediately gripping her hand tightly. Though she wouldn’t admit it, Kevin and Veronica’s comments had ruffled her fur, no pun intended. She didn’t like being thought of as some death-obsessed beast that brought destruction and pain wherever she went. She’d been trying for years to rid herself of the stigma, but people still insisted on their stereotypes.

Cheryl had mostly calmed down, her anger short-lived, and saw at once that Toni was on edge. She didn’t ask, just walked a little closer so that their shoulders were brushing as they walked, and Toni felt herself relax at the feeling.

Kevin and the girls knew better than to interrupt again, and Toni could hear them murmuring quietly with Archie and Jughead. She ignored it, focusing on the feeling of Cheryl’s skin against hers and the path beneath her feet.

A few more quiet minutes passed, before Toni broke the silence.

“We’re here,” she announced, gesturing to the meadow that the tracks ran straight through. It was clear that a forest had once been here, and some of the trees still remained on the outskirts of the clearing.

“So, what exactly are we looking for?” Archie asked, scratching his head.

“Betty, what does it say Nikolas found here in the story again?” Toni asked.

“Oh, right,” Betty pulled out her phone, unlocking it to scan through the story. “Let’s see, it says he meets a yaoguai named… um, let’s see… that’s weird…” Betty squinted at her screen, head tilted in confusion.

“What’s weird?” 

“Well, in the story, the yaoguai tells Nikolas that he has to figure out his name, or else he’ll kill him. Nikolas guesses his name correctly, but the story doesn’t actually say his name, or how he did it.” She said.

“That’s… odd.” Toni muttered in confusion.

“What  _ is  _ a yaoguai anyways?” Archie asked.

“It’s like a demon spirit bear.” Betty said. “They’re feral, so you’ll never meet a societal one. Honestly, I don’t even know if they exist. There’s no  _ actual  _ evidence of it.”

“Well, I don’t see any crazy spirit bears around here.” Jughead said, wandering onto the tracks. “In fact, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.” They all looked around hesitantly, and Toni had to agree that everything seemed normal. She even transformed, sniffing around the perimeter of the area, and found nothing but the scent of animals and trees and a whiff of bad weed that made her lip curl in disgust.

“Me neither,” she admitted, turning back into a human. “There’s nothing— wait… do you guys hear that?” Everyone fell silent, straining their ears to listen. Archie picked it up first, his ears being as acute as Toni’s, but the sound grew quickly, and soon they could all hear it. 

A deep rumbling, and the distant whistle of a horn.

“Sounds like… a train?” Veronica said. It wasn’t uncommon for one to pass through Riverdale, especially on the newer track, but they hardly ever came through during the day.

The train was fast approaching, the rumbling growing louder and closer, and they all quickly got their distance from the track.

Everyone except Jughead.

He seemed rooted to the spot, unmoving from where he stood smack in the middle of it.

“Jughead!” Archie called. “What’re you doing?! Move!”

“I can’t!” He yelled fearfully, struggling to remove his feet. “I’m stuck! My feet won’t move!”

“What?!” Archie shrieked, racing over to him. The rest followed suit, grabbing onto Jughead and pulling in an attempt to get him off the tracks.

“Why won’t he move?!” Veronica screamed, pushing as hard as she could against him. Cheryl and Betty were desperately chanting words in another language, casting charms and countercurses in an attempt to remove whatever enchantment was keeping Jughead in place. 

Archie turned into a huge, furry wolf, throwing all of his weight against Jughead, but to no avail.

Kevin even summoned up his wings, grabbing onto Jughead’s arm and flapping wildly, trying to lift him up and out of harm’s way.

“The train’s coming!” Veronica screeched, and everyone redoubled their efforts to move him. Even with everybody’s combined might, Jughead didn’t even budge, and Toni felt hot, terrified tears well in her eyes as the train rounded the distant corner, the whistle shrieking in warning and the ground shaking violently beneath their feet.

“Move!” Jughead bellowed. “Just move! Save yourselves, we’re not all getting hit by a train!”

“Nobody is getting hit by a train!” Toni roared. “Everybody get out of my way!” 

She sprinted backwards aways, and turned back into a huge, hellish beast. Bellowing in anger, she charged forward, everyone scrambling to get out of her way as she flashed past them, digging her paws into the ground and flinging herself at Jughead with all of her might.

Some magical bond snapped, and Toni and Jughead went tumbling over the tracks just as the train passed, close enough for it to hit Toni’s tail and nick her hindquarters, sending her careening a few feet away from the slight impact. She yelped in pain, clambering to her paws and racing back to where Jughead was sprawled on the grass, breathing hard and shaken up, but alive.

“What the actual fucking fuck was that?!” He panted, hand clutched to his chest. “If my heart still beat, it’d have exploded by now!” 

Toni stood in front of him, gasping in pain and exhaustion, but being sure to plant herself between him and the sun so her wide shadow fell over him and shielded him from the rays.

She shook her beastly head, too tired to transform back, and she swayed on her paws.

“Woah, okay,” Jughead scrambled clumsily over to her, grabbing his umbrella, that was thankfully spared, and covering himself with it before guiding Toni to the ground gently. She collapsed with a thud, closing her eyes and trying to focus on anything other than the throbbing pain that enveloped the back half of her body.

Jughead looked up to see Kevin hovering in the air on the other side of the train that was still rushing by, framed by the sun and looking like a true angel. He yelled something down to the others, presumably that they were safe, and a moment later the train passed and their friends rushed to their side. Cheryl immediately fell to her knees beside Toni, lifting her great head into her lap and stroking her forehead.

“What happened?!” She demanded, tears in her eyes. “Is she okay?!”

“The train hit her tail and just brushed her back end.” Jughead explained, getting to his feet with the help of Archie and Kevin. “Sent her flying a couple feet, but I don’t think it did anything devastating.”

“If you had just moved off the stupid track—” Cheryl began angrily, and Jughead immediately went on the defensive.

“Oh so this is  _ my _ fault?! I was fucking spelled to the track or something! It’s not like I  _ wanted  _ to sit there like a fucking moron and make all of us risk our lives!” He spat back. Before they could descend into a full fledged screaming match, Toni raised her head and let out a hoarse bark.

Everyone’s attention snapped to her, and she opened her eyes for a moment, fixing them both with a hard, red glare and showing just a hint of teeth in warning. They got the message, and the fight went out of them both.

“It’s not your fault you got stuck to the track, I… I’m sorry.” Cheryl said, in a rare moment of genuine regret and kindness. Jughead was taken aback for a moment, but nodded anyways.

“It’s okay, I get it, you’re worried. So are we. But she’ll be fine, like I said she didn’t—”

“Uh guys,” Betty cut in, her voice shaking. “I hate to interrupt but… look…” She raised a trembling hand to point to the distant tree line on the other side of the railway.

They all followed her finger, and standing on the edge of the small forest, was a monstrous, grotesque bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for clarities sake, archie is the kind of werewolf that can just like turn into a huge wold whenever, bc that's more fun, and betty is a fae, so she can like cast spells and shapeshift n stuff, just fyi
> 
> also i think moss deep forest might be from a pokemon game lmfao
> 
> thanks for reading babes!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what up broskis im still kickin sorry for the delay i had to finish up classes and also im lazy lmfao
> 
> enjoy my little pretties!

No one moved.

No one even breathed.

Time itself seemed to freeze as the group stared at the horrific bear, terror rooting them to the spot as the beast slowly approached.

The closer it got, the more grotesque it became.

It was bigger than a regular bear, nearly the size of a horse, and its fur was matted and tangled, caked with dried blood and other dubious substances. Parts of it were translucent, and a horrible, ghostly mist swirled about its paws. It fixed them with a cold, vacant stare, devoid of any life or spirit.

As it drew itself towards the train tracks, the group roused themselves from their stupor, taking up defensive positions.

Toni tried to scramble to her paws, immediately stumbling with a yelp of pain when she put weight on her back half. Cheryl drew her back down into her lap, pinning the yaoguai with a dangerous glare, eyes swirling with magic, silently threatening it to come any closer. Archie transformed in an instant, standing protectively at the front of the group. His ginger fur bristled aggressively, and he bared his fangs in a challenge. Betty snapped her fingers and a ribbon of vibrant blue energy swirled about her hand, crackling and sparking dangerously. Jughead’s small frame suddenly seemed to fill the space around him much more thoroughly, and his eyes flashed crimson as he channeled vampiric energy into himself. A thin trail of blood dripped from the side of his mouth, and his tongue swiped out to catch it, fangs much more pronounced than before.

Kevin’s halo flared to life, and his eyes took on a pure, pink-gold glow as divine energy surged through him. It was enough to give the yaoguai pause, having been unfazed by his friends’ shows of dominance. The beast stopped at the opposite side of the track, not crossing into the stretch of grass the group occupied. It eyed Kevin warily, but showed no signs of backing off.

“What do you want?” Jughead demanded, voice echoing unnaturally, as if more than one person was speaking.

“My name.” The beast’s voice was a gurgling growl, like gravel in a blender mixed with slate scraping together and the sound of thunder. “I am here for my name.”

“We don’t have your name. Now go, leave us alone!” Jughead said, stepping forward to stand beside Archie, who snarled and spat in agreement.

The yaoguai made a wet coughing sound in the gruesome approximation of a laugh. “You seek the lake. You have my name. Tell me, or perish.”

Veronica slipped out from behind Jughead and Archie, approaching the yaoguai without a trace of fear.

“Now, now,” she said. “There’s no need for such violence.” Her words were honeyed and smooth, and her eyes glowed a pale, unnatural blue. “We don’t know your name, and we’re really not that interested in finding the lake. So why don’t we just, go our separate ways? Sound good?”

The monster’s gaze remained stoic and unimpressed as Veronica approached it, seemingly unaffected by Veronica’s words. She flashed it a smile, teeth suddenly far sharper than before, and shimmering scales having appeared on her arms and neck. 

She took another dainty step forward, and in a blinding flash of speed, the yaoguai lashed out at her with vicious talons. Veronica stumbled back with a shriek, tripping over her own feet in her rush to get back to her friends.

“Your magic words are useless on me, siren!” It snarled after her, stomping its paw into the ground angrily. “I grow tired of this nonsense, tell me my name before I kill you now!” 

Betty wrapped her arms around Veronica protectively, holding the trembling girl close to her chest. Her head whipped towards the yaoguai, eyes alight with anger. She snapped her fingers again, and the bright blue energy orbiting her hand shot towards the monster.

Without flinching, the yaoguai batted the bolt away with its paw as if it were a plaything. “This is your last chance.” It rumbled. “You cannot leave until you give me my name, or you die trying. You have three guesses.” It sat down on the grass, empty white eyes fixed on them, eerie and unblinking. Betty gave it one last vicious glare before gathering into a tight group with the others. Veronica had mostly recovered, but still clung tightly to Betty’s arm and pressed herself against her.

“What the hell are we gonna do?” Archie asked, turning back into himself. “The story doesn’t tell us its name, right Betty?” 

Betty shook her head. “No, Nikolas guesses its name on his last try, which shocks the yaoguai so much that it disappears on the spot.”

“Then we’ll have to guess,” Cheryl spoke up from her place on the ground, fingers running through the long pink fur on Toni’s neck. “And fast. Toni needs help so she can change back.” 

Toni chuffed in agreement, raising her head from Cheryl’s lap, her crimson eyes fixed on the yaoguai who stared stonily back.

“Maybe its name is Nikolas?” Kevin suggested. “I mean, it would make sense on how human Nikolas guessed it.” 

“Maybe,” Jughead said. “But that seems too easy.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Archie said, shrugging. He stepped forward. “Is your name Nikolas?” He called.

The yaoguai was silent for a moment.

“No. You have two guesses remaining.”

Cheryl hissed in annoyance.

“We need to figure this out  _ now _ .” She turned to her bag, rummaging through it and pulling out a thick, slightly dusty book. She brushed off the cover and opened it to a few pages in. 

Toni peered at the book, watching as Cheryl ran her finger down a list of creature names, arranged alphabetically with small page numbers across from them. With a noise of triumph, Cheryl tapped the word “yaoguai”, causing it to glow bright green. She opened to the middle of the book, where there was a sketch of a yaoguai done in ink, similar to the one they faced now, and narrow script appeared with a flicker of the same green light.

“Here,” Cheryl put the book down in the grass, and everyone crowded around it. “This is  _ Montegue’s Bestiary _ , the original copy. It has all known information about every creature in existence.” 

They all skimmed it silently, looking for any useful information, and it was Kevin who spoke up again.

“Guys, look here; it says that yaoguai are fallen celestial beings.”

“And?” Archie asked.

“And, who’s a really famous example of a fallen celestial being?” When they all stared blankly, Kevin threw his hands up in exasperation. “Lucifer! I bet that’s his name.”

“I think you’re right, Kev.” Betty agreed, and she stepped forward, Veronica cowering behind her just a bit. “Is your name Lucifer?”

Another pause.

“No. You have one more chance to get it right, or I kill you all where you stand.”

Betty looked panicked now.

“What are we gonna do?!” She said, pacing worriedly. Veronica put a soothing hand on her shoulder, halting her rapid movement but not easing the worry on her face. “What kind of creature doesn’t know its own name?!”

“That’s it!” For the third time, Kevin spoke up, seemingly having another answer. Everyone glared at him skeptically and he shook his hands excitedly. “No, guys, Betty’s right! What kind of creature wouldn’t know its own name?”

“One that… doesn’t have one….” Jughead spoke slowly as the answer dawned on him. Kevin nodded enthusiastically.

“I completely forgot, when celestial beings fall from grace, they’re stripped of their holy names. He’s asking for his name because he doesn’t know it himself!” Before anyone could voice their dissent, Kevin whipped around. “You have no name!” He shouted confidently.

The yaoguai’s body seemed to completely freeze up for a moment, not even the breeze ruffled its mangy fur. Then it let out a furious roar of anguish, making everyone wince and smack their hands to their ears, trying to drown out the sound. It writhed about on the ground, and then snapped its head up, its eyes suddenly burning with cold blue fire.

“You… you deprive me of my name! Reduce me further into this hideous beast! You’re all just like him… Nikolas… he figured out my secret too, got my necklace… but I refuse to give it up this time! I won’t!” With a frenzied howl, the beast raced forward, heavy footfalls shaking the ground as it stampeded towards the group.

What happened next was unclear. There was a scream from Cheryl, or maybe Veronica, and Archie and Jughead leaped forward simultaneously, but they were stopped short by a blur of fire and black fur as Toni flashed past them. 

She skidded in front of her friends as the yaoguai lunged for them, holding her ground as the monster slammed into her. For a moment, it seemed as though time had stopped, neither moving an inch, and then they disappeared into a sudden cloud of pink and orange fire and smoke. A horrible, gurgling cry came from within, and everyone held their breath as the smoke and dust cleared. 

Toni stood, unmoved by the impact, and the yaoguai was gone, the only remnants fast-fading wisps of green smoke and a glittering silver necklace.

No one moved, and then, slowly, Toni swayed on her paws, one leg buckling, then another, and she collapsed into a heap of ratty, singed fur. Cheryl let out a strangled shriek and tore off towards her, already mumbling words of healing under her breath and pressing her glowing hands to Toni’s body. 

Everyone else approached slowly, afraid of what they would find, but let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw the rapid rise and fall of Toni’s flank.

Cheryl had tears streaming down her face, but worked determinedly, muttering more spells and pulling out brightly colored potions to pour down Toni’s throat and rub into her fur. Kevin reached behind him for a wing and plucked out a single, white gold feather that glowed warmly. He kneeled, placing it on Toni’s side, and she let out a great sigh, seeming to breathe a little easier and a little stronger. Cheryl flashed him a grateful glance before returning her attention to the injured canine in front of her.

Betty’s eyes strayed to the amulet next to Toni’s paw, and she stooped down to grab it. She examined it carefully; a simple silver chain that ended in a locket, emblazoned with a glowing sapphire held by sharp talons. Working a nail into the clasp, she popped it open, and gaped at what she found within.

A small diamond was suspended in the middle by some sort of magic, rotating slowly. The inside was murky and cloudy, and what looked like tiny lightning bolts flashed inside of it.

“Cheryl, have a look at this…” Betty said, passing it to Cheryl, who had sat back on her heels after deciding she had sufficiently helped Toni. Cheryl examined it closely, turning it about.

“It looks like some sort of storm gem or something.” She murmured, eyes fixed on the small floating gem. “I’ll look in my tomes, see if there’s anything on jewelry like this. But we have much more pressing things to attend to.” She gestured at Toni’s unmoving form, the girl having completely passed out on the ground. “We need to get her home and safe, as soon as possible.” 

The others nodded in agreement, each splitting off to help in some way. Kevin and Betty raced back to Kevin’s truck, and Archie and Jughead hauled Toni’s huge, beastly body over their shoulders. Veronica set about comforting Cheryl, knowing the girl was worried sick, and murmured soothingly into her ear, infusing her words with just a little bit of magic so they’d settle more deeply into Cheryl’s mind and ease her fear.

Kevin sped up in his truck, and the boys lifted Toni into the trunk, Cheryl flitting about nervously as they did so, snapping at them to be careful and worrying over her comfort as Veronica chased after her futility. In the end, Cheryl opted to climb in the trunk with Toni, placing her great head in her lap again and stroking her forehead with the utmost care as Kevin drove them back to Sunnyside.

Toni’s eyes stayed resolutely closed, but her breathing was even and strong, which eased the knot in her chest just a little. 

“Shit,” she muttered as they pulled up in front of Toni’s uncle’s trailer, and she raised her voice so the others could hear her. “Toni said her uncle locked her out again.”

Jughead’s eyes narrowed, and he jumped out of the passenger seat, stalking up to the trailer door. He gripped the handle, thumb on the latch, and they watched as a spark of black energy travelled down his arm and he jammed his thumb downwards, snapping the lock and swinging the door open.

“Tada,” he muttered grimly, opening up the trunk to help Cheryl out and get Toni inside. 

Getting Toni’s large form through the narrow door proved difficult, especially with her huge paws flopping about and catching on the sides. After a brief struggle, they managed to fit her through, and hurried to the end of the small hallway and into her room.

The sun had mostly set by now, and the room was illuminated by the lamp sitting on the small table next to Toni’s bed. Archie and Jughead eased her onto it gently, making sure her limbs were all securely on the bed. She had not stirred at all during the whole time, and continued to slumber away as they stepped back, slightly panting.

“When do you think she’ll wake up?” Veronica asked quietly. Jughead shook his head.

“Depends on how long it takes her body to recover. I have no idea how much damage that bear thing did to her, but coupled with the train, she had to have taken a beating.” He caught sight of Cheryl looking increasingly anxious, and hastily continued, “but she’ll be fine, obviously. Hellhounds are really tough, and they have special healing properties. I’m sure she’ll wake up in no time.”

Cheryl didn’t respond, just walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, grabbing one of Toni’s paws.

“I’ll stay with her,” she murmured, eyes not leaving the beastly girl on her bed. “You guys can go. I’ll call as soon as she wakes up.” The others exchanged hesitant glances, but all seemed to agree. One by one, they filed out, but not without doing their best to reassure Cheryl.

Archie laid a firm, steady hand on her shoulder, and Kevin pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and then to Toni’s. Jughead stroked Toni’s ears, and hesitated a moment before giving Cheryl an awkward couple of pats on the shoulder. Betty quietly used her thaumaturgy to fill the room with a warm, cottony smell, like blankets fresh from the dryer, and dot the ceiling with tiny glowing stars. Veronica once again murmured softly in Cheryl’s ear, using her magic to honey her words and let some of the stress ease from Cheryl’s shoulders.

Finally, they had all gone, and Cheryl was left alone in the small room, silent apart from the soft sound of Toni’s deep breathing. She stood slowly, keeping one eye on Toni, and dragged a round saucer chair from where it sat in the corner of the room over to the bed. She settled into it, crossing her arms on the bed and resting her head on them, eyes trained on Toni.

She felt her eyes begin to droop, slowly at first, as the adrenaline in her system finally began to fade and she was lulled to sleep by the warm room and the comforting scent. She reached her hand out, pressing it to Toni’s furry chest, and was reassured by the feeling of the strong, rhythmic thumping of her heartbeat.

Content with the physical reassurance of Toni’s lifeforce, Cheryl allowed her eyes to drift closed.

* * *

It was deep into the night when Toni finally turned back into herself.

Cheryl had dozed off, curled up in Toni’s old saucer chair next to her bed. She was startled awake by a long, low howl of pain from the girl, and Cheryl struggled up and out of the chair to her side.

Toni was panting hard, eyes squeezed shut as her entire body trembled. Her paws were curled tightly into the sheets, and she flinched when Cheryl laid her hand softly on her neck. She snarled and gave a violent shudder, and Cheryl watched as her huge, beastly form shifted and changed back into a small, shaking girl crouched on the bed.

Toni was sweaty and pale, her normally dark complexion pallid in the low light of her bedroom. Cheryl’s arms were around her in an instant, lowering her to the bed gently. Toni grimaced as she shifted her hips to get under the covers, collapsing into her pillows with a hard puff of breath.

Cheryl scooted up next to her carefully, and Toni wiggled around a bit so her head was in Cheryl’s lap. She kept her eyes closed, and Cheryl ran her fingers slowly through her hair, a mess of pink tangles that she did her best to undo as painlessly as possible. After a few long moments, Toni blinked her eyes open, no longer glowing red, but their soft, natural brown.

“Hi,” she whispered, breaking the silence.

“‘Hi’ yourself.” Cheryl smiled down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a train, which, coincidentally…”

“Not funny, TT.”

“Too soon?” Toni laughed, then winced a moment later. “Fuck me, I’m sore.”

“I can make you a sleeping draught if you want.” Cheryl offered. Toni shook her head.

“I’m still exhausted, don’t worry about it.” Toni raised her hand to scratch her head, huffing when her fingers caught in the tangles that Cheryl had been working to get out.

“Here…” Cheryl shifted, helping Toni to sit up and lean against her pillows. “I’ll help you clean up a little.”

“Oh, Cher, you really don’t—”

Cheryl cut her off as she walked towards the bathroom. “If you really think I’m sleeping next to a smelly, dirty monster with a rat’s nest for hair, think again.” Despite her words, Cheryl’s voice held no bite, and she flashed Toni a playful smile and a wink as she disappeared down the hall. 

Toni chuckled to herself and shifted as best she could, hissing when she felt pain shoot through her lower body. The train had done a number on her, even with the indirect impact, and she had expended all her remaining energy to protect them from the monster. It had been enough to keep her from changing back, her human body unable to handle the severity of it until she had recovered enough. She took a moment to test her legs, stretching and flexing them gingerly. She grit her teeth in pain, but none of it was mind numbingly bad. Good. Nothing but bruises and scrapes.

Her stomach and side ached from where the yaoguai had slammed into her, and she knew it was going to be bruised as hell pretty soon.

Cheryl padded back into the room a moment later, footsteps muffled by the plush, cheap carpet of the trailer. She was armed with a brush in one hand and a rag and bowl in the other. Toni peered over at it after she had carefully set it down on her nightstand, seeing that it was full of water.

“To wash your face with,” Cheryl explained when she saw Toni looking at it. “I figure you’re like, probably sweaty and grimy from our whole uh…  _ adventure,  _ I guess.” 

Toni softened at her thoughtfulness, smiling sweetly at her.

“Thank you, Cher. That’s really sweet of you.”

“Well,” Cheryl had a hint of uncharacteristic awkwardness before she brushed it away. “Like I said, I’m not sleeping in the same bed as some dirty mongrel.” 

Toni laughed, unfazed by the comment. “Who said you were sleeping with me at all? There’s a perfectly good couch.” She said, raising her eyebrow.

“Fine, brush your own hair then,” Cheryl huffed, rising from where she was perched on the edge of the bed with a dramatic toss of her hair.

Immediately, Toni played the whipped puppy and whined pitifully.

“Cherylllll,” she made grabby hands after her, fixing her with her best puppy dog eyes. Cheryl rolled her eyes but couldn’t help her soft smile as she made her way to the other side of the bed, clambering a little awkwardly up to the head to slip behind Toni.

Toni sat up and scooted forward carefully, moving slow to try and avoid jostling her lower half too much. She felt Cheryl shift behind her, and she sighed as she felt her gather her hair up gently, sweeping it back over her shoulders and giving it a soft ruffle to shake out any loose knots. Cheryl leaned towards the small bedside table where she had left the brush, grabbing it along with a black hair tie.

Toni let out a soft hum of approval as Cheryl began to slowly drag the brush through her messy hair, carefully untangling the pink strands with her fingers before smoothing them down with the brush. Toni’s eyes fluttered shut, and she felt the tension in her muscles drain away as she lost herself in the rhythm of Cheryl’s gentle brushing. Her head lolled forward a little, and she felt her consciousness flicker as sleep beckoned softly to her, soothed by the dim glow of the lamp and the feel of the girl behind her. Cheryl’s long legs were on either side of her, and Toni sank back slowly into her inviting warmth, drifting off into the quiet sea of sleep as she nodded off.

“TT,” Cheryl whispered softly in her ear, and Toni’s eyes half-opened as she let out a sleepy sound of acknowledgement. “I need you to sit up for just a few more minutes so I can clean your face, and then we can sleep.”

Toni grumbled, but obeyed nonetheless, slumping forward again. Cheryl braided her hair with quick, deft fingers, leaving it in a single, thick braid to prevent it from getting tangled again. She grabbed the bowl of water and rag, pausing to open a small vial sitting next to it and pour in a few drops of what looked like liquid stardust, matching the ones that still glittered on the ceiling from Betty’s spell.

“Moon Kisses, to soothe your body and mind.” She murmured when she saw Toni eyeing it through one cracked eyelid.

“I’d rather have your kisses,” she mumbled groggily, too tired to have a filter. Cheryl laughed softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Toni’s temple.

“You can have those too,” she whispered. Toni smiled dopily, and closed her eyes again as Cheryl dragged the wet rag over her forehead and cheeks, cleaning off the dirt and sweat of the harrowing day, leaving behind a pleasant scent and slight tingle that made Toni feel like her cheeks were covered in tiny stars. Cheryl carefully swiped in under her chin and behind her ears before setting the bowl aside, running the pads of her fingers softly under Toni’s eyes, who had all but melted into a puddle at the gentle, loving treatment she was receiving. 

Cheryl lifted Toni’s head from her chest, laying it down on a pillow before sliding out from behind her. Toni whined at the loss, but Cheryl climbed under the covers a moment later after turning out the light, and Toni was on her like a magnet the moment she had settled. She heard a slight huff of laughter from her, and Toni smiled when she felt Cheryl wrap her arms around her protectively and pull her into her chest.

Toni lifted her head with bleary eyes, stretching up to place a gentle, chaste kiss on Cheryl’s lips. Cheryl blinked for a moment, stunned, then her mouth curved into a soft smile, and she leaned down to press another to Toni’s lips. Toni let out a happy noise, pressing her nose to Cheryl’s collarbone and burying her face in her neck. Cheryl sighed deeply through her nose, warm and content under the covers with her sweet, soft girl.

But something nagged at the back of her mind.

She couldn’t forget the way the demon had glared at them, with its cold, cruel gaze, and how it had bound them to their search for the lake with its words; they were in this until the end now, whether they knew it or not, and Cheryl felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her eyes strayed to her bag, lying next to the dresser where she had tossed it haphazardly after bringing in Toni, and she could almost feel the pulsing glow of the amulet within, keeping time with her heartbeat. She shivered involuntarily, and Toni, still on the edges of consciousness, mumbled something that sounded vaguely like it was meant to be comforting, tugging the covers around them tighter and snuggling deeper into Cheryl, and left a sleepy kiss on her chest where the shirt had been tugged down.

Cheryl couldn’t help but smile, her train of thought derailed and saved from hurtling into murky, anxious depths of worry. She pulled Toni as close as she could, feeling her breath even out in sleep, and she closed her eyes, making a silent promise to protect her from any further harm, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> s/o to dnd for teaching me the word 'thaumaturgy'

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first multichapter fic, and i'm gonna do my best to stick with it. yell at me to make me feel guilty and therefore motivate me!


End file.
